No False Gods
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters below… (Exodus 20:2 - 5)
The Book of Exodus details the story of how GOD brought Israël out of captivity in Egypt and the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land. In the beginning of this long trek, GOD creates a covenant with the newly freed people of Israël, detailing how they will serve Him, worship Him and live their lives in a manner that is right and just. The foundations for the laws were established in the Ten Commandments, and one of the most forgotten - and dangerous - ones is that of idolatry. What is idolatry? Why is it bad? Can anyone be culpable of that sin? How does one avoid it?
Cambridge Dictionary defines idolatry as being a very great admiration or respect for someone, often too great, or the act of praying to a picture or object as part of a religion. To apply that in a biblical sense would be to add concepts such as adoration and worship of said thing or person. The Old Testament recounts stories of the ancient Israelites openly praising other gods such as the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:8), Baal (1 Kings 18) and Moloc (Jeremy 32:35). GOD punished idolaters for their sin against Him on multiple occasions, and that indiscriminately, from the entire population (Exodus 32: 35) , to even one of His highest servants in Solomon (1 Kings 11). Therefore, idolatry is a sin of worship and heart that is one to avoid.
Idolatry is, in GOD’s eyes, renouncing Him by giving praise and worship to anything else. The Bible is explicit, stating on numerous occasions that people had turned their backs on GOD whenever they committed the sin of idolatry. They gave whatever, or whoever, they were praising an elevated status. The gravity of the sin comes from the fact that the Lord gave us the ability to dominate back in the Garden of Eden through Adam (Genesis 1:26) and that He presides in the great assembly, rendering judgement among the “gods” (Psalm 82:1), for we were beautifully and wonderfully formed in His image. On top of that, we were given the spirit that GOD jealously longs for (James 4:5). So to switch that natural balance of things is to “play god”. To put anything above ourselves but below GOD is devaluing us as GOD’s creation. The utterance of words that would insinuate that there is anything above GOD would be blasphemous. Now who are we to idolize anything and anyone else when we are His creation and that He has done so much for us?
No human is exempt from sin; all have sinned in the eyes of the Lord and therefore need salvation through His son Yeshua (Romans 3: 23 - 24). With how simple and seemingly inoffensive this sin can seem to be, it is easy enough to propose the idea that everyone has participated in it at some point or another in their lives. Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, was personally given wisdom from GOD, all of the riches the Earth had to offer and a plethora of women but still succumbed to idolatry (1 King 10 - 11). So, we are just as capable of committing the same error if we are not truly connected to the Holy Spirit.
Modern idolisation isn’t as obvious as it was in the times of King Solomon, where one built temples for other gods, drew incense and worshipped. Today, people tend to idolize fame, celebrities and fortune (ex: American Idol, etc.) in the guise that it will make them great when the Bible clearly states that isn’t the case. As well, certain christians practice idolatry well into their faith, through representations of GOD, bowing down to statues or the adoration of the cross. Some people even idolize themselves. Examining the way society today lives, idolatry is everywhere, but is so well hidden, one can go their entire life without realizing that they have been idolaters.
Idolatry, like all sin, is avoidable, but before one is able to avoid that sin, one must get to the root of that sin through prayer and questions. What are your idols? Where is your time when you aren’t directly serving GOD? What has importance in your life? Where does your heart reside? Once you’ve asked yourself these questions and truly prayed on the subject, you are now able to break down the idols in your life as did Gideon in the book of Judges (Judges 6: 1 - 39, key verses in 25 - 28) and give praise to the one true GOD. When you give your life to the Lord and present yourself as a holy and acceptable sacrifice to Him (Romans 12: 1 - 12), than you are able to truly walk away from a life of idolatry and sin.
In conclusion, the Bible details the story of how GOD created us, saw us fall into idolatry and saved us. He now wants us to walk with Him in sanctification and to live lives that will eventually lead us to be with Him in the Promised Land that is Heaven. It is through respecting His laws and precepts - such as living life without idolatry because we love Him with all of our hearts, all of our souls and with all of our strength - that we are able to get to the blessings that He destined for us well before we were conceived (Jeremy 29:11).